Blood Bound
by alh1971
Summary: Eric thwarts Bill's early efforts to "procure" Sookie. AU, Mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I promise, I'm working on the next chapters for "The Louisiana Vampire Murders" and "The Prisoner." It's just…I had such a shitty day at work today, I came home and the one-shot just wrote itself. Honest, my fingers moved by themselves…_

_ It's been a while since I've read the first book or watched the original TB episodes, but I've always wondered how things could have turned out if Eric intercepted early on around the time when Bill first met Sookie…this story explores one possible outcome…_

…

…

Eric's interest was piqued. When Pam had reported to him that Bill Compton had been accosted by drainers, it wasn't the loss of Compton that warranted a raised eyebrow. It was that he was Sheriff and therefore responsible for the vamps in Area 5, and having drainers on his turf was just un-fucking-acceptable.

Now, sitting before Eric in his office, Bill was reluctant to explain how he escaped their clutches.

It didn't sit well with Eric. It was obvious he was hiding something.

Putting his long legs up on his desk, hands folded across his stomach, voice monotone and face assuming a perfect mask of boredom, Eric continued his line of questioning.

"And you just magically de-silvered yourself after they had drained several pints from you."

Bill opened his mouth to answer but then shut it, opting instead to nod his assent.

Eric sighed and then continued. "And these would-be drainers just happened to drive away after you were somehow liberated from the chains. And despite your enhanced night vision, you weren't able to see what they were driving or what they looked like."

Bill nodded again, his face stoic. Eric scrutinized him for several seconds. Bill remained resolute, but Eric was a patient man.

Had a less astute inquisitor questioned Bill, it would have passed unnoticed, but Eric caught the subtle tell: a slight tic in the jaw.

Eric played along; let the fool think he got away with something. He would find out the truth soon enough. He straightened up and slid his legs back under the desk.

"Alright Bill, fine. Pam, have him sign a statement detailing these events. I will have to submit them to the queen within 72 hours after the incident, as per protocol when reporting draining incidents. Have it ready for me to look over when I get back. I have other matters to attend to." At the mention of the queen, Eric caught another of the man's tics.

Pam nodded impatiently to Bill, thrusting the paper under his nose while Eric made his way out the back door. Taking to the sky, he headed to Bon Temps, to a bar that was reportedly run by a shifter, where Compton supposedly had his run-in.

Eric landed in the deep shadows of the woods on the edge of the parking lot. He inhaled deeply…Yes, he could track Bill's scent. He followed it over to an area where blood had undeniably been spilled. He could also pick up the scent of three other individuals. One male, two female. The male and one of the females smelled similar… body odor, cum, cheap beer, and meth.

But the other…Eric took a deep breath. 'Mmm…delicious. Fae, perhaps? Subtle, though-not pure fae. But what would a fae hybrid be doing out here, especially with a wounded vampire?' he thought to himself. He followed the tantalizing scent back to the parking lot, and towards the bar. Intrigued, he smoothed back his long hair and decided to investigate.

Suppressing the urge to wrinkle his nose in distaste from the fried food stench that permeated the air, his sharp eyes quickly evaluated the area. Immediately, he caught the eye of the owner, the shifter, who was tending bar. The shifter seemed to recognize Eric, nodding his head deferentially.

Eric ignored him and coolly scanned the crowd, searching for the source of the elusive scent. It hit him right in the balls as a curvy blonde waitress bounced up to him.

She had to crane her neck up to look at him. The smile on her lovely face was genuine. "Hi there, it's pretty busy tonight, but you're in luck. Just cleared a table out in my section." She nodded to a booth to the right of the entrance. Eric grunted an assent and followed her, eyes hypnotically latched on to her voluptuous ass, barely covered by the tiny black shorts. He licked his lips and smiled back as he took a seat and accepted a menu.

"Just you tonight or are you waiting on someone?"

He smiled wider, "Just me."

She beamed, "Okay, there's not a big menu selection, but—"

"I will have a True Blood, if that is something that is offered in this establishment."

Sookie's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, yeah, sure! You're in luck, we sure do!" She cocked her head and winked, "You know, you're the second vampire we've had in here. I guess we'll need to order more!" Skipping off in her tantalizingly tight shorts, he watched the blonde relay his order to the shifter, who reached out and held on to her arm while looking at her with an intense expression. No words were exchanged, but when she turned back to Eric with his drink, her grin had dropped a few notches and seemed forced.

"Here you go, sir-"

"Please….it's Eric. Northman. And you are?" He bent over towards her chest, as if searching for a nametag, all the while unashamedly leering at her breasts.

She backed up, narrowing her gaze. "I'm Sookie."

"Sookie?" he chuckled. "What a delightful name! Somehow fitting for such a beautiful, unique woman." His eyes raked her up and down as he took a swig of the blood.

She blushed and dropped her gaze. "Nah, not so unique." She looked up at him from under her lashes. Suddenly, she turned, as if someone had shouted her name. With a delay of perhaps two seconds, a customer had called loudly to her, gesturing to his empty beer pitcher.

She bit her lip and smiled apologetically to Eric as she went to tend to her table.

Eric had not missed the subtlety of the situation. She had turned in the man's direction prior to being called. Now, that wasn't necessarily remarkable. However, as he watched her bustling about in the busy bar, his keen eyes noticed that she always seemed one step ahead of the customers' needs, at times pausing if listening to unseen voices. Once again, someone less observant would not have thought twice about it. But Eric had definitely scented fae on the delectable woman, and he had learned the hard way, with the fae you never fucking knew what lay under the surface. The thought that the woman was psychic was a real possibility—he had stumbled upon such gifts from time to time over the years. It was especially interesting given that Compton had failed to mention Sookie's presence during his "attack."

Eric, with his many centuries worth of experience and insight into the nature of man and supe alike, was able to put two and two together quickly. Compton had returned to his hometown to procure this woman, of that he had no doubt. And somehow the queen was involved.

…

Eric stayed until near closing, ordering two more True Bloods, which sat untouched, to justify his presence in the booth. As Sookie came back for last call, he asked her to sit for a moment to talk to him.

"Um, ok. Sam, my boss, shouldn't mind since it's slowed down." She smiled and slid into the booth across from him. Eric took note of the dilated pupils in her beautiful blue eyes and scented the air. She was definitely attracted to him. Excellent. It was mutual.

"Sookie, you said something that interested me earlier. You mentioned that I am the second vampire to visit this bar. Would you be able to describe the other vampire or know his or her name by any chance?"

Sookie laughed, "Yeah, his name was Bill. Vampire Bill. I thought the name was kind of funny, you know? It was just so…commonplace. I expected something more exotic I guess."

'Son of a bitch,' he thought, his anger brewing at Compton's duplicity.

Sookie continued. "Yeah, Bill's real interesting. He fought in the Civil War, if you can believe it? I can't believe there are people walking around who are over a hundred years old!"

Eric smirked inwardly but feigned interest. "Ah, he told you about his history, did he?"

"Well, I-I kind of helped him out when he was in…a bit of a pickle. He said he owed me afterwards and asked how he could pay me back. After he told me about his Civil War experience, I was thinking he could maybe speak to my Gran's historical society meeting. He's supposed to come by here tomorrow night after I get off work. I thought I'd ask him then."

Eric suppressed a growl. He had no intention of letting Compton sink his fangs (and other things) into this delightful southern belle.

He looked at her speculatively. "Then that is a shame, because I had hoped to see you again tomorrow as well." He raised an eyebrow and lifted her hand to his mouth, placing a light kiss on her delectable skin.

She blushed and stood. "Well, I better get moving. I gotta get everything ready for tomorrow's shift." She gave him the tally for his tab. He handed her a hundred dollar bill and told her to keep the change. She attempted to argue with him but he insisted, saying that her service was impeccable and the gratuity was well earned.

As he turned to walk out the door, he noticed her admiring his ass. Smirking to assure her that he noticed, he drawled, "Ms. Stackhouse. It was a genuine pleasure meeting you. I'll be seeing you. Soon." He strode outside, turned to make sure she kept eye contact, and winked before he shot up into the sky.

Chuckling at her shocked reaction to his method of departure, he headed back to Fangtasia. He wanted to talk to Pam. He had some plans to thwart tomorrow night.

…

….

_The following night:_

Sookie stood by her car outside of Merlotte's. Everyone else had left for the night and there was no sign of vampire Bill. She looked at her watch. Yep, he was late. Darn it! She felt foolish and began to dig in her purse for her keys while silently cursing to herself.

Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't catch the malignant intent heading towards her until it was too late.

….

….

Pam was enjoying herself. After all, besides shopping and fucking, torture ranked at the top of her list of her favorite things.

Bill, to his surprise, had been frustratingly resilient and resistant to pain. Well, not entirely. Oh, he had suffered, but not enough to loosen his tongue. He had held out the night before, refusing to divulge any information.

And now…tonight, Eric, bored with the screams and his child's gleeful giggles, decided he'd had enough. It was nearing the time for Sookie to get off work. He wanted to be there waiting for her. Given her physical reaction to him, he didn't think she'd be too disappointed at Bill's failure to show.

If there was one thing Eric had learned across the centuries, it was to what extent males, regardless of species, were attached to their dicks. Reaching out with an iron grip, Eric twisted Bill's crotch and hissed in his ear, "I grow weary of this game. I know who "rescued" you from your "draining." She is quite delightful, is she not?"

Bill glared and whimpered with pain, but didn't answer.

Eric continued. "As a matter of fact, I would also hazard to guess that the queen is somehow involved." Bill's eyes widened in shock for a split second before he spat out, "I have done nothing wrong. I intend to file a formal complaint with—"

Eric squeezed his pathetically small package and nodded to Pam. "Hand me those old garden shears, would you?"

Her eyes glinting and mouth upturned in the most wicked smile Eric had seen in some time, Pam handed over the shears with the efficiency of a surgical nurse.

Holding the rusted tool up to Bill's face while yanking on his junk, Bill caved. Just as Eric knew he would.

As soon as the words were out of his traitorous mouth, Eric didn't spare a second to hesitate. Faster than lightning, he was up and out of the club, taking to the air immediately.

If what Bill said was true, and he had every reason to believe him now, then he may already be too late.

….

…

Eric smelled the blood well before they came into view. In a rage, he dispatched the Rattrays with clinical precision, breaking both their necks before throwing them to the side of the road.

Kneeling down, he knew immediately that she had not been dead long. Likely, she had been taking her dying breath as he killed the pieces of shit that would soon be gator bait.

He didn't think twice. He scooped up her body and flew into woods. Cradling her head back on his lap, he tore a gash in his wrist and poured his blood down her throat. He continued reopening his wound until he began feeling the effects of the blood loss.

He stopped and closed her mouth, kissing away the blood that had leaked out of her beautiful lips. Leaning back against the tree, he pulled out his phone.

"Pam. I need you to come to Bon Temps, over by the shifter's bar I told you about. There's been a…change in plans. No, go ahead and keep Compton locked up in the basement—he's not going anywhere for a while. We have some other things to discuss. Oh, and Pam, bring a case of blood and some blankets. I know you won't appreciate getting your upholstery stained. After you dispose of the bodies—yes, yes, the drainers, I need you to drive me to my safe house in Monroe. I will be going to ground there…if all goes well, you will have a new sister to welcome soon."

He ended the call without waiting for his child's reaction. He was confident that he caught Sookie in time and that his blood, as ancient as it was, was potent enough to revive her. Looking down at her inert form, he wiped a matted lock back from her face.

"Soon, Sookie, soon…you will make a magnificent vampire, and I swear to you no one will ever hurt you again."

Letting out a great sigh, he settled back against the tree and waited for Pam's arrival.

…

…

_Thanks for reading. _

_BTW, if any of you are wondering why I have a review with my __pen name, I asked my husband to read the story to see what he thought of it...he thought he'd be supportive and leave an anon review, not knowing I was still logged in. I promise I didn't review myself! And of course, this site only allows you to delete anon reviews. Sigh...Bless his heart, he meant to be sweet..._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Wow! Thanks for all the kind reviews! Yeah, I agree…I couldn't leave it as a one-shot. I got too damned curious about what comes next, so here we go…_

…

…

While waiting for Pam, Eric reset all of Sookie's broken bones, and licked most of the blood off her face, neck, and chest. However, she had continued to ooze from several vicious lacerations where bone had protruded from the skin. With his senses, he could also detect severe internal bleeding, which he knew had been the cause of her demise.

After her arrival, he answered all of Pam's rapid-fire questions with patience, aware of her shock at the situation and its implications.

All in all, she had taken things in stride with her usual matter-of-fact approach to things, even keeping her grumbles to herself about the stink from the Rattrays corpses as she hauled their bodies off for disposal.

…

…

Eric, now sitting in the backseat of the minivan, cradled Sookie's blanket wrapped body. His mind wandered back to his change in circumstances. He had never intended on making another child, and yet…it felt right, as if he was meant to be Sookie's maker...

Glancing back at Eric in the rearview mirror, Pam worried about her master, who was obviously beyond smitten with the girl. She didn't want him to hurt or be disappointed if she didn't rise. "You think you got to her in time, you said?" she hesitantly ventured.

"Yes. I believe she had been gone mere seconds before I intervened."

There was a pregnant pause before she continued. "What if you were too la-"

"I was in time," he bit out.

Pam took the cue and remained silent for the remainder of the ride.

…

…

Driving through the security gates of the secluded estate, Pam spoke up, wanting to mend any sore spots. "How can I help, master?"

Eric softened towards his child, knowing she was trying to atone for angering him. "Help me prepare your sister. Put the blood in the fridge, pick out some clothes for her from your room. And, ah, stay with her and see to her hair while I prepare to go to ground."

She turned and nodded with a grateful smile as the garage doors closed.

…

…

Eric gently placed Sookie in his master en suite shower, which was large enough to accommodate several people comfortably. He had always enjoyed modern plumbing and he required each of his homes to have lavish bathrooms.

Quickly stripping, he stepped back into the shower and began removing her blood and grime soaked clothing. Lastly, he took out the blood-encrusted tie from her hair. He turned on the showerheads and sat down on the tile, pulling her head to rest on his lap. He reverently began shampooing her long hair, which took several attempts to get clean. He then soaped up her body, washing every inch of her skin thoroughly before he leaned her to her side and quickly and efficiently cleaned himself.

After drying them both off, he gazed with unbridled longing at her voluptuous form. She embodied everything that represented his ideal of feminine beauty. From her long golden locks, bountiful breasts, rounded hips and ass, firm legs, and tiny feet-she was simply gorgeous head to toe. With no small degree of satisfaction, he noticed that the worst of her wounds had begun healing. Although quite a bit of bruising remained, if there were any lingering doubts about her ability to rise again, they were now gone.

Unable to suppress the sudden surge of happiness, he smiled broadly as he carried her into his bedroom and laid her on the bed. He hurriedly put on a pair of old jeans, t-shirt, and slip-on loafers (Gucci-one of Pam's acquisitions). Pam had entered at some point, carrying a garnet colored nightgown and robe.

She noticed the smug look on his face while he fixated on Sookie's nude form, and drawled, "Well, now. I see now why you decided to keep her. She is certainly…attractive, is she not?"

Taking the silk garments from Pam, he began dressing her while he murmured, "Indeed she is." Intently focusing on smoothing the fabric over her body, he continued, "And pure of spirit, brave, and singularly unique."

Pam shot a knowing smile at him as she went to fetch a brush out of her room. Eric was a goner. Hell, she was happy for him. Despite her presence and the throngs of fangbangers that milled about, she had felt through their bond his intense loneliness and longing for a companion for too long. And now, she rejoiced at his excitement and happiness.

After Eric had dressed Sookie to his satisfaction, he lifted her head and spread her locks upon the pillow. Turning to Pam, who had returned with a brush and styling products, he nodded and told her he was going to prepare their "resting space."

…

…

Whistling a jaunty tune, he retrieved a shovel and tarp from the garage and headed out to the west side of his property. In just a few minutes, he had dug a shallow hole, spacious enough to contain them both. Satisfied, he lined the bottom with the tarp, allowing enough of the material to hang out so it could fold over their forms.

Eric didn't want his beautiful, innocent newborn to rise to the world covered in dirt.

…

…

Eric lay on his back, with Sookie tucked into him, turned so that she lay on her side, with her head nestled on his shoulder. Pulling her arm and leg over his body, he nodded to Pam.

"I will contact you after Sookie rises. Return to Fangtasia. If any inquiries are made, tell them I am away on a business matter and will return shortly. Destroy Compton's signed statement-it obviously will not be faxed to the queen. Keep him silvered and entertain yourself as you see fit, but spare his eyes and tongue. I need him to see and speak when I visit him again."

Pam nodded her understanding. He folded the tarp over their bodies and got comfortable while Pam began covering them with soil.

…

…

_Three days later, sunset_

Eric felt her wake, felt her rapidly rising panic and fear. Flooding their bond with comfort, he held her close. He spoke quickly.

"Sookie. You are safe, here with me. It's Eric. I found you—"

Her voice trembling, she interrupted him. "I know. I…I can hear your thoughts. Oh my God, I can't believe I'm a vampire. Oh my God. No. Oh…" She began to shake violently while clutching at him.

Scooping her close, he stood and flew them back to his house, landing on his back patio. He brushed back her hair and smiled reassuringly while lightly grasping her upper arms.

"Sookie, I know this is overwhelming and must come as quite a shock, but we need to get you fed first and foremost before tackling anything else." He thumbed the blood trails from her cheek and waited several minutes while flooding the bond with reassurance. After she had calmed sufficiently, she allowed him to lead her into the house.

He sat her on a stool at the kitchen island while he warmed up a couple of True Bloods. Swirling the blood to distribute the temperature evenly, he handed it to her. He left it in the bottle because he wasn't sure if seeing the dark red color would be distressing to her.

"Now, keep in mind, this will taste vile, but I wanted to introduce you to synthetic blood before we discussed…the alternative…"

Taking a hesitant swig of the drink, she wrinkled her nose. "It's…metallic tasting…not the best thing I've ever tasted, but….I'll try. I feel…_really_ hungry." Nodding while watching her intently, he was satisfied to see that she was able to down the entire bottle. He went immediately to warm two more for her while still sipping on his.

Turning to her with the drinks, he said, "You will need to drink a few more. Although I filled you with as much of my blood as possible, you are a newborn and will need to make sure your blood lust is sated so that you can focus on what I need to tell you."

Nodding her understanding, Sookie reached out and quickly drained the offered bottles. In all, she was able to drink eight of them before telling him she was sated.

He held out his hand to her and was pleased to see she didn't hesitate to reach out to him. Leading her into the living room, he sat next to her on the couch and angled his body to face her. He was concerned to see the dazed look on her face. It was obvious she was in shock.

"Sookie. I am sorry this has happened to you. I got to you too late. But I couldn't let you—"

"I was dead," she whispered.

His worried eyes scanned her face. Licking his lips he nodded. "Yes. Yes you were. But only for a few seconds before I…You see, I couldn't have resuscitated you. And even if I could have, the…internal damage was too extensive, even for vampire blood to heal. The only choice was to turn you."

She looked up at him. "You could have left me. Dead I mean."

"No. No. That was never an alternative for me." His expression was firm and deadly serious.

She blinked. "And you killed the Rattrays. I saw it in your head."

His gaze narrowed. "Yes. Their death was too quick. They deserved worse, much worse for what they did to you."

A single tear tracked down her face. "And it was a set-up by Bill. He wanted them to hurt me so he could have an excuse to get his blood in me, to tie me to him. Because I'm a telepath."

He nodded solemnly while trying to block his thoughts, but she plucked it out of his head despite his efforts.

Her lovely face frowning in confusion, she said, "I'm part…fae? I wasn't human to begin with? What am I now? Part fae, vampire? This is too…too much!"

She covered her eyes and shook her head as bloody tears made garish trails down her cheeks. "Oh…what am I going to do? My Gran, what am I going to do about Gran? I can't just leave her alone…and my job. What am I going to tell Sam?" She began to laugh hysterically. "I guess I'll tell him I'll only be able to work the night shift from now on, huh?"

Eric shook her lightly when she didn't initially respond to his efforts to reorient her.

"Listen, Sookie. It's going to be okay. We will figure things out. Together." He kissed her forehead to underscore his point. "And as far as your job...the shifter is aware of what happened. He had come upon us after I had found you. I explained what happened to him, and he agreed to talk to your grandmother. He was to tell her you were going away to visit a sick friend for a few days but that you'd contact her as soon as you were able. He agreed to drive your car to a secluded area to help with the ruse." He gently pulled her hands from her face and caught her gaze. "We _will_ work it out. I promise. Understand?"

She was sobbing while nodding frantically, desperately wanting to cling to his words of comfort.

He bent down and slowly licked the blood trails from her cheeks. She seemed strangely soothed by his efforts, and her tears quickly stopped. She allowed him to situate her on his lap as he held her close, petting her hair while quietly explaining the basics of what it meant to be a vampire and how she now fit into the hierarchy of supernatural creatures.

He continued holding and crooning to her until she calmed enough to allow him to lead her to his bedroom, where he spooned her to him on the bed. He began telling her about himself, of his long existence, of places he had seen and people he had met in an effort to keep her distracted. All the while, he flooded the bond with calm, security, and tenderness.

As he spoke to her, he made every effort to hide his bloodthirsty and vengeful thoughts about Compton and the queen, as well as the implications of her ability to read vampire minds. Although she was coveted as a mortal for her ability to read human minds, she would now be hunted by others of his kind for her new skill.

If Sookie read his thoughts, she didn't mention it throughout the long night.

…

….

_AN: Ok, not a lot of action, but necessary for what is to come. I don't see this as a long multi-chap fic, more of a ficlet._

_Thanks as always for reading, following, favoriting, and especially taking the time to review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: I'm glad most of you are enjoying this story and THANKS so much for the kind reviews! I value each and every one of them. Reviews make me take into account issues I may have not have considered. Case in point: several readers have expressed concern about Sookie being an immortal virgin. This issue never occurred to me since I am a firm believer that the reason the first time is awful for so many is due to the inexperience of the partners and not due to female anatomy, which is highly variable anyway. Besides, as I mentioned to a couple of readers, who better for Sookie to "give" her virginity to (for eternity) than __Eric Northman__**, **__a man who has had a millennium to perfect his sexual technique? )_

_This is rough despite going over it a million times, but I wanted to get it out to you. Now I'm off to the next chapter of the neglected Prisoner…_

….

…

My Lady d'Arbanville, why do you sleep so still?

I'll wake you tomorrow

And you will be my fill, yes, you will be my fill.

My Lady d'Arbanville why does it grieve me so?

But your heart seems so silent.

Why do you breathe so low, why do you breathe so low?

My Lady d'Arbanville, you look so cold tonight.

Your lips feel like winter,

Your skin has turned to white, your skin has turned to white.

I loved you my lady, though in your grave you lie,

I'll always be with you

This rose will never die, this rose will never die.

~Cat Stevens~

_…_

_…_

_The following night:_

Eric paced relentlessly in his underground bedroom, while splitting his attention between his two children, one on the other end of the phone receiver, the other in the bathroom.

He spoke rapidly, in Swedish.

"She is taking it as well as can be expected, but I have been bombarding the bond with calm and reassurance. She is frequently on the razor's edge of panic despite my efforts. Well, yes, of course she is in shock, not only from her murder but also from the rude awakening she had, learning she is vampire—and other things…I do not want to elaborate over the phone. Yes, casual and dress attire. You would be the better one to guess her size. And ah, Pam…some bagged blood—assorted. And what of Compton? Hmm. Yes, well, I suppose he could be telling the truth, but it is irrelevant. I don't give a fuck—let them send for him then! We will discuss later. "

Eric disconnected the call and hesitated where he stood. He could feel his new child's barely contained panic, terror, and grief as she bathed. He had encouraged her time alone in the bathroom since he could feel her need for solitude. He didn't begrudge her the need to grieve, to mourn not only her life but also everything that mortality had offered her: human marriage, children, grandchildren…things that were now impossible.

Closing his eyes, he once again replayed his recent actions back in his head. The rage and horror while holding Sookie's dead, broken body had caused him, a being who had countless years of calculation and subtlety, to act on impulse. Something he just did not do. But he had not hesitated for even a second…it had felt natural and…right to turn her. And now, honestly, even after a period of introspection, he had no true regrets about giving her his dark gift… indeed had he been confronted with the situation again, he knew he would act accordingly in the same manner.

However, he empathized with her pain, knowing that she would initially struggle with her new life, made all the more difficult initially due to her violent murder at the hands of the drainer trash. He knew firsthand what it was like to be assaulted and helpless; to be at the mercy of a psychopath as you felt your very life drain away. It was something his new child had not deserved.

He felt red, burning rage flare up again as he once again thought of Compton and the queen. Eric realized that Compton had likely told the truth to Pam. Sophie-Anne _would_ send for him if she did not hear back from him in a timely manner, her urgency driven by her greed at obtaining the fae telepath. A molten surge of bloodlust inundated him as he thought about twisting Compton's head off and bathing in his viscera, but he quashed it quickly when he felt a sharp rise in Sookie's anxiety and grief, while at the same time an overwhelming _need_ for him screamed through the bond.

….

…

Sookie lay at the bottom of the bathtub; eyes wide open, reveling in her ability to submerge underwater without the need to breathe.

She was attempting to drown out not only her thoughts, but also the ones that came unbidden to her from all directions. At first, the voices had been deafening, maddening, as a confusing barrage of minds from several miles away pummeled her. Luckily, as soon as she was able to dam the tide of panic with Eric's calming influence, she was able to shutter out much of the noise. She had slowly learned to shield at a young age, a skill developed out of necessity and now luckily seemed enhanced, just as the amplification of her telepathy had been since her "rebirth."

And…the big shock, which she hadn't mentioned to Eric, but this morning she had awakened mid morning while he was dead for the day.

Fearful, she had remained silent beside him until he had risen, none the wiser about her ability to "day walk." In her mind, it further reinforced just how much of a freak she had become—no longer human, or part fae (whatever that really meant), and apparently, it was looking like she was not really all vampire, based on what Eric had described. But then again, he had mentioned the possibility of having a "gift" beyond that of immortality, such as his ability to fly. Maybe she was just abnormally "gifted"?

But again, just what the hell was she?

The implications of her new abilities, as well as the knowledge she was no longer human terrified her. Adding to her anxiety and fear, she was also experiencing intrusive memories of her death: overwhelming slices of terror, helplessness, and agony she felt during the Rattray's merciless assault. Her mind replayed choppy images of their faces, contorted into rictuses of evil glee while their drug fueled jeering laughter pierced the night. After Mack had paralyzed her with a vicious kick to her spine, she lay there helpless, looking up as Denise stomped her chest. And then, a kick to the head, and…that had been it.

Until she awoke in a panic, under the earth in Eric's arms…

And now—her whole world had been turned upside down and inside out. Nothing made sense.

She felt like an undead Alice falling down the rabbit hole…to what end? Immortality, by definition, offered no end. But then again, Eric had explained ways that "their kind" could be ended in different ways: sunlight, silver, staking, beheading. "Meeting the sun" didn't sound so bad to her. And what if she were immune to sunlight given her ability to rise during the day?

And yet, as distraught as she felt right now, she would not do that to her maker. It would cause him pain—that she knew, and she would not do that to him, no matter how desperate and miserable she may feel.

She allowed her mind to wander, subconsciously searching out for the comfort of her maker's thoughts. Even underwater, she had heard Eric speaking in an unfamiliar language, and while his thoughts only seldom slipped into English, she caught the barrage of images and feelings shooting through his mind at breakneck speed.

It was easy to decipher the turmoil of his thoughts. His concern about her safety and welfare gnawed at him, as well as his ravening anger at Bill and queen "Sophie-Anne." Also, there was also a niggling doubt in the back of his mind that she would resent him for turning her and thus feared her rejection.

But rejecting him was the _furthest_ thing from her mind.

Through the bond, she consistently felt his concern, protectiveness, and tenderness, to an extent she had never before experienced, not even from her parents or Gran. And his thoughts betrayed the dizzying depth of his feelings towards her, which was as surprising as it was breathtaking given the brief time they had spent together. She could tell that he had not wished for her to lose her mortal life in such a way, felt his distress and guilt at finding her dead, as if he had failed her in some way…and on the cusp of those thoughts, she felt his loneliness and his consuming, obsessive desire to keep her by his side.

There was no doubt in her mind: he fiercely and lethally protected what was his and she now undeniably belonged to him.

No, she didn't begrudge him. He had literally snatched her from the jaws of death, and for that she owed him and was profoundly grateful. It was just so overwhelming. She felt alien and…lost. Her life as she knew it was over. Gran, Jason, Sam, Tara…how would they treat her when they learned the truth? Would she want to drink their blood, drain them when she eventually faced them?

She shuddered and sat up, gasping in a sudden onslaught of panic, which was only heightened by her missing heartbeat. She hugged herself around the middle, her torso shaking in awkward, silent sobs while red splashes hit her body and plopped into the water, creating macabre pink patterns around her.

Her head turned as she felt _him_ approach, hearing the concern in his thoughts as he warred inside, not wanting to intrude and yet yearning to go to her.

Her lips turned up on their own accord in a wan smile.

She may be adrift, but here there was an undeniable stalwart rock in the midst of a stormy sea. If there were one thing she knew deep in her bones on a fundamental, intuitive level, her maker would not abandon her.

Never.

She kept her eyes on the door, unintentionally sending out tendrils of need, her bond instinctively reaching out to him, seeking him and recognizing that her maker stood behind the door, just out of reach.

Suddenly, the door swung open and as her grieving eyes picked up on the concern etched into his face, she was overcome with a tsunami-sized wave of tenderness and gratitude for the man standing before her.

Eric's eyes were glowing with passion, a mixture of desire, pride, and concern. But belying the intensity of his gaze, he held out a large towel in silent invitation of calming sanctuary.

So strong was the desire to go to him, her bond flailed out to him, and before she knew what happened, she had popped from the bathtub into his shocked but waiting arms.

Suppressing his urge to question her apparent ability to teleport, he simply wrapped her up in a cocoon of Egyptian cotton and strong maker's embrace.

Sinking into him, she allowed herself to find solace, without her characteristic self-consciousness, if only for a few minutes…

Gently lifting her in his arms, he brought her into the bedroom and sat her on the bed before fetching one of his shirts for her. He left the room after murmuring a reassurance he'd be back after he warmed her some synthetic blood (she saw in his mind he'd be introducing her to human blood soon, but she quickly pushed that to the back of her head).

Stoically, she dried off and dressed in one of his t-shirts, which hung down to mid-thigh.

Needing no words between them as the bond hummed in mutual need and affection, she saw he had returned with two bottles in each hand. He sat down beside her and handed her one, while keeping one for him.

Capturing her eyes with his, he reached out with his bottle to clink to hers. Smiling a shy smile, she reciprocated and obliged with a silent toast.

…

…

…

…

_Thanks for reading! The pace is going to pick up after this chapter, but I thought we needed to hear more of what was going on with Sookie's reaction to being turned before we moved on. _

_So…the True Blood season premiere wasn't as bad as I had thought (though that's like saying a root canal wasn't as excruciating as it could have been). A bit surprised that Tara bit the dust so quickly, but my reaction was like Lafayette's (namely, relief). The scene with the stand-off between Jessica and the backwoods zombie!vamp was enjoyably creepy. Anyone wonder why the hell Pam ended up in Morocco when she shares a maker-child bond with Eric and should have felt a pull to Sweden? And what was up with the stupid Deerhunteresque scene? Pointless. If they were trying to tap into Pam's depression and suicidality it came off as contrived. I guess they'll drag it out so that Eric makes an appearance before the finale, right before we see Sookie and Bill together again, huh? Sigh…_


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